More importantly, sometimes a concept is difficult to get the first time in lecture, and if you are paying attention (in order to get that big picture) then you might not get enough in your notes. Having a recording lets you go back and make sure that you actually *did* get the big picture. So not only does recording stop you from trying to get things “verbatim” but can also help you see the big picture when you’re having a fuzzy day.

I knew of students who recorded the lectures during my 1L year. However, the audio recordings never seemed to be distributed for their academic content. The only times I heard of anyone swapping files was when the lectures contained something provacative or comical. Maybe this is something that needs to be addressed with incoming students at orientation.

I hadn’t thought of asking the recorders to make recordings available to others — that’s a good idea.

In general, I don’t think this is a big deal, and I think your response was fine.

Susan

There should be no school-wide policies in such matters. The University of Texas, despite being the greatest university in the history of the world and having the most impressive college football program as well, has the stupidest policy possible. It warns professors that by allowing students to record lectures they are sacrificing their intellectual property. This is not only stupid and immoral, it’s incorrect.

One limit to my position: students sometimes say things in class they wish they had not. And professors often play devil’s advocate. No one should be forced to defend or explain statements after the fact.

I shared the recordings with classmates who had to miss class, which made me feed more comfortable asking for copies of notes from those same classmates when I missed class. On my first day back this year, I already had a few classmates ask me if I’ll be recording again this year because they know they’ll be missing specific classes and want copies of the recordings.

I asked my professors the first semester, and all seemed to act like it was strange that I even asked (and said it was okay), so I didn’t ask second semester. I use an external mic (the in-computer mics make terrible recordings in a classroom setting) so it should be very obvious what I’m doing, but probably best to go back to asking just to be sure.

Besides, doesn’t the school own the contents of the lecture, from an intellectual property standpoint, as a work for hire? (Disclaimer: I’ve not had copyright law yet.) It would seem to me that they, not the faculty, would set the recording policy. (Not that they wouldn’t defer to faculty wishes.) But going beyond that, if students are entitled to hear the contents of the lecture by paying the tuition fee that grants them access to the classroom, isn’t recording the content just their fair use of what they are entitled to?

I don’t record lectures… I wouldn’t have the time to listen to one again anyway, but I can see how it would be valuable if there was a discussion you were having a hard time following… you could go back, listen to a point and pause to digest it. I can also see how it would make faculty a little more nervous, speaking in front of a large audience might already be nerve wracking. But I don’t think students record lectures to ridicule professors any more than professors write exams to ridicule students. It really is about trying to learn the material. What is wrong with that?